Cressewell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Cressewell family

The surname Cressewell was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland where they were recorded as a family of great antiquity seated at Carswell in the parish of Neilston in that shire, and later branched to Carnswell in the barony of Carnwath in Lanarkshire, and to Carswell in the barony of Hassendean in Roxburghshire. Alexander Cresswell son of Uchtred was the first known of the name, and William Cresswell was Chancellor of Moray between 1281 and 1298. [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)

Early History of the Cressewell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cressewell research.Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1373, 1603, 1296, 1688, 1743, 1710, 1713, 1713, 1715, 1654, 1712, 1709, 1557 and 1623 are included under the topic Early Cressewell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cressewell Spelling Variations

The many spelling variations in Medieval Scottish names result from the fact that scribes in that era spelled words according to sound. Translation too, was an undeveloped science, and many names were altered into complete obscurity. Over the years Cressewell has been spelled Carswell, Cresswell, Carsewell, Cressville, Carswele, Kersewell, Cressewell, Chriswell and many more.

Early Notables of the Cressewell family (pre 1700)

Notable amongst the family at this time was Robert Cresswell who was a Scottish prisoner of war taken at Dunbar Castle in 1296; Richard Cresswell (1688-1743), an English politician; Member of Parliament for Bridgnorth (1710-1713)... Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cressewell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cressewell family to the New World and Oceana

To escape the uncertainties and discrimination faced in Scotland, many decided to head out for North America. Once they arrived, many Scots fought with relish in the American War of Independence; some went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Many ancestors of these Scots have recovered their lost national heritage in the 20th century through Clan organizations and Scottish historical societies. Among the settlers to North America were: John Carswell who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1767 with his wife Anne, and his children George, Joseph, Thomas, and Rebecca.